Revel Salon 2 versus WP 8

My Watchdog as per Wilson was not needed w. the Maxx IIs. But in reality, simply turning the sub on & off answers the question. It is an absolute must. That is w. Maxx IIs. I had WP7s so it is easy to deduce the WP8s needs. If I optimize speaker placement for bass I lose the mids & highs. That is almost any speaker. That is why the best systems have a separate woofer tower etc. There is no way around it. What is best in every room is different. Wilson & the Revel's allow you to optimize but in different ways. But Subs are 100% must in a large room. But even w. subs (single) I have a suckout. I would love to try a 2nd sub but that is for another time. My sub has a remote turn on so the preamp turns it on. I use True RTA to analyze my output / freq response. It helps but is a pain. Turn on your subs & measure. Use a Y cable if you need separate connections for home theater & stereo. Hope I helped. There are several good subwoofer threads here on Agon.

JKLam, it was the new Salon 2s. Obviously my impressions really reflect my own tastes,...

Elberoth2- I'm not a bit surprised by Jkalmans bass problems. I too have a Rives room and have been fighting a huge 80hz bump even after adding (rather, knocking out a finished wall and building) a large Helmholz resonator. After parading a number of different speakers from active to single driver, the bump is persistant, albeit the magnitude varies slightly. A wholly disenchanting experience.

To sum up my experiences:

The W/P8 vocals sound more open and natural, while the Salon2 bass sounds more balanced and natural (with the compression setting in the middle setting). The treble on the W/P8 is a little more lively sounding.

I expected more of a clear choice, but instead both speakers have strengths and weaknesses. I wasn't sure which one I would like better, but I really thought it would be cut and dry either way. It just isn't. :(

Since the choice isn't cut and dry for me, I'll probably base my decision on what will work best in my HT situation... :D

Having the built in treble controls and boundary compression controls is a definite advantage for the Revels if someone is looking for out-of-the-box, quick-and-easy EQ. There is no denying that. Both are excellent sounding speakers, so I don't think someone can go wrong with either one.

That the W/P8 has a little bit of extra boom in the 70-80Hz range that happens to coincide with a room mode in my setup is an issue (someone people like that extra boom, I don't, as mentioned previously in this thread), and one that might come to play in the decision. The other issue in consideration is that I am going to be putting a third large speaker behind an acoustically transparent screen as a center channel. Having a built in treble control, while not an absolute solution to the roll-off this kind of situation can cause, is a boon.

Anyone see those Magico Stereophile measurements? I was expecting them to be A LOT better considering all the hype some folks have been spreading around these fora hand-in-hand with insults concerning how other speakers measure graph wise...